Remembering Daddy Long Legs“We loved you as a teenage prostitute in ‘Pretty Baby’, onstage in ‘Chicago’ and as a worthy adversary to Tom Cruise,” said gossip columnist Liz Smith to Brooke Shields, who presented dancer-choreographer Tommy Tune with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the June 2 “Fred and Adele Astaire Awards Gala To Benefit the Auditory/Oral School of New York.” Samuel and Pnina Bravmann, the founders of the institution, had built what is known as an option school (Option Schools International is an umbrella organization of 49 educational institutions that mainstreams profoundly deaf children by providing auditory/oral education).…Read more
Tribute to Jewish WomenIt was a double-nachas day for real estate mogul Larry Silverstein when his wife, Klara, and daughter, Lisa, received the Philanthropy Award at the May 29 UJA-Federation of New York’s Women’s Philanthropy inaugural luncheon. “Our greatest gift is to inspire future generations,” said Klara, whose roster of affiliations leaves one breathless: “All our children and grandchildren have made their mark on the Jewish and non-Jewish community.” Lisa, senior vice president of Silverstein Properties, is involved in the development of the World Trade Center site. The 700 guests who filled the New York Hilton ballroom enjoyed Grammy-winning songwriter and UJA Compassion Award recipient Phoebe Snow’s performance of “Everything I Do, I Do for You” — a tribute to her daughter born with multiple birth injuries, to whom she had devoted 31 years of loving care. The official credentials of keynote speaker Cherie Blair read: “Queens Counsel Barrister, Judge, County Court and Crown Court and Former Prime Ministerial Consort of Great Britain” (to us colonials: wife of former prime minister Tony Blair. All this is quite remarkable for someone who was raised by a single mother became the first member of her family to attend university. Specializing in employment and human rights, Blair is a patron of Norwood, a social service agency in England and Wales that provides services to disadvantaged and disabled Jewish children and their families. She stated: “Women live at the very heart of every community, transmit human and global values to the next generation.… Societies where women have a voice are the most prosperous and stable.”…Read more
Hillel Looks to the Future“I grew up in a low-income, middle-class area in [Santiago] Chile,” said Manhattan real estate maven Jacky Teplitzky, recipient of the Sweet Dreams Award at the Pajama Program’s May 2 luncheon, held at the Hotel Pierre. Her family moved to Israel, where Teplitzky served in the army. The family then immigrated to New York, where Teplitzky and her team at Prudential Douglas Elliman have sold more than $500 million in Manhattan real estate. “I promised to give back,” said Teplitzky, a Pajama Program advisory board member. “I wanted my kids to know about philanthropy.” Founded seven years ago by Genevieve Piturro, the organization distributes pajamas to the needy throughout the United States and overseas. Last year, Piturro received a letter from Israel, thanking her for “sending pajamas to our [Hadassah Neurim] Youth Aliyah Villages for teenage kids… the children’s sizes they took home for siblings, others were donated to a nearby orphanage.” Also honored were “Mother of the Year, ” Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, and “Father of the Year,” NBC’S “Today Show” weatherman/host, Al Roker. Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn presented the awards.…Read more
Remembering a Yiddish TreasureAmong the attendees at the recent “Evening With Ackerman” — featuring Diane Ackerman, author of “The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story” (W.W. Norton, 2007), and held at New York’s Kosciuszko Foundation — were several Polish diplomats. The event can best be described as a Polish-Jewish historic love-fest. Ackerman exquisitely chronicles how Warsaw zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski saved 300 Jews during the Nazi occupation by hiding them in the zoo’s animal cages. Sponsored by the Museum of the History of Polish Jews/North American Council, the participants included Sigmund Rolat, chairman of MHPJ/NAC; Poland’s consul general ,Krzystof Kasprzyk; Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland Bogdan Zdrojewski; Polish Cultural Institute of New York’s director ,Monika Fabijanska; event emcee and MHPJ/NAC treasurer Michael Berkowicz, and Tovah Feldshuh, who presented a fragment from “Irena’s Vow,” her one-woman portrayal of 18-year-old Polish Catholic nursing student Irena Gut. After being beaten and raped by nine Russian soldiers, Gut risked her life to hide 13 Jews in the home of the highest-ranking Nazi officer in Tarnopol, Poland.…Read more
Christie Brinkley Goes OrganicIn 1930, Tel Aviv’s first mayor, Meir Dizengoff, gave his home over to the city to be transformed into the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, with the injunction: “Guard it, for it bears a blessing, for it is destined to become an honor and a credit to our city.” At the May 8 American Friends of Tel Aviv Museum of Art’s gala in celebration of Alexander Calder, held at Capitale on Manhattan’s Bowery, the festive crowd included Mark Rothko’s son Christopher, who is involved in managing the Rothko legacy; Marc Chagall’s granddaughter Bella Mayer, and Alexander Calder’s daughter Mary Calder Rower and grandson Alexander “Sandy” Rower. Calder’s longtime friend, lawyer and founder of the Calder Prize, Stanley Cohen, was also in attendance.…Read more
Tribute to Jewish WomenIt was a double-nachas day for real estate mogul Larry Silverstein when his wife, Klara, and daughter, Lisa, received the Philanthropy Award at the May 29 UJA-Federation of New York’s Women’s Philanthropy inaugural luncheon. “Our greatest gift is to inspire future generations,” said Klara, whose roster of affiliations leaves one breathless: “All our children and grandchildren have made their mark on the Jewish and non-Jewish community.” Lisa, senior vice president of Silverstein Properties, is involved in the development of the World Trade Center site. The 700 guests who filled the New York Hilton ballroom enjoyed Grammy-winning songwriter and UJA Compassion Award recipient Phoebe Snow’s performance of “Everything I Do, I Do for You” — a tribute to her daughter born with multiple birth injuries, to whom she had devoted 31 years of loving care. The official credentials of keynote speaker Cherie Blair read: “Queens Counsel Barrister, Judge, County Court and Crown Court and Former Prime Ministerial Consort of Great Britain” (to us colonials: wife of former prime minister Tony Blair. All this is quite remarkable for someone who was raised by a single mother became the first member of her family to attend university. Specializing in employment and human rights, Blair is a patron of Norwood, a social service agency in England and Wales that provides services to disadvantaged and disabled Jewish children and their families. She stated: “Women live at the very heart of every community, transmit human and global values to the next generation.… Societies where women have a voice are the most prosperous and stable.”…Read more
Hillel Looks to the Future“I grew up in a low-income, middle-class area in [Santiago] Chile,” said Manhattan real estate maven Jacky Teplitzky, recipient of the Sweet Dreams Award at the Pajama Program’s May 2 luncheon, held at the Hotel Pierre. Her family moved to Israel, where Teplitzky served in the army. The family then immigrated to New York, where Teplitzky and her team at Prudential Douglas Elliman have sold more than $500 million in Manhattan real estate. “I promised to give back,” said Teplitzky, a Pajama Program advisory board member. “I wanted my kids to know about philanthropy.” Founded seven years ago by Genevieve Piturro, the organization distributes pajamas to the needy throughout the United States and overseas. Last year, Piturro received a letter from Israel, thanking her for “sending pajamas to our [Hadassah Neurim] Youth Aliyah Villages for teenage kids… the children’s sizes they took home for siblings, others were donated to a nearby orphanage.” Also honored were “Mother of the Year, ” Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, and “Father of the Year,” NBC’S “Today Show” weatherman/host, Al Roker. Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn presented the awards.…Read more
Remembering a Yiddish TreasureAmong the attendees at the recent “Evening With Ackerman” — featuring Diane Ackerman, author of “The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story” (W.W. Norton, 2007), and held at New York’s Kosciuszko Foundation — were several Polish diplomats. The event can best be described as a Polish-Jewish historic love-fest. Ackerman exquisitely chronicles how Warsaw zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski saved 300 Jews during the Nazi occupation by hiding them in the zoo’s animal cages. Sponsored by the Museum of the History of Polish Jews/North American Council, the participants included Sigmund Rolat, chairman of MHPJ/NAC; Poland’s consul general ,Krzystof Kasprzyk; Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland Bogdan Zdrojewski; Polish Cultural Institute of New York’s director ,Monika Fabijanska; event emcee and MHPJ/NAC treasurer Michael Berkowicz, and Tovah Feldshuh, who presented a fragment from “Irena’s Vow,” her one-woman portrayal of 18-year-old Polish Catholic nursing student Irena Gut. After being beaten and raped by nine Russian soldiers, Gut risked her life to hide 13 Jews in the home of the highest-ranking Nazi officer in Tarnopol, Poland.…Read more
Christie Brinkley Goes OrganicIn 1930, Tel Aviv’s first mayor, Meir Dizengoff, gave his home over to the city to be transformed into the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, with the injunction: “Guard it, for it bears a blessing, for it is destined to become an honor and a credit to our city.” At the May 8 American Friends of Tel Aviv Museum of Art’s gala in celebration of Alexander Calder, held at Capitale on Manhattan’s Bowery, the festive crowd included Mark Rothko’s son Christopher, who is involved in managing the Rothko legacy; Marc Chagall’s granddaughter Bella Mayer, and Alexander Calder’s daughter Mary Calder Rower and grandson Alexander “Sandy” Rower. Calder’s longtime friend, lawyer and founder of the Calder Prize, Stanley Cohen, was also in attendance.…Read more
More in
- Whoopi Honored
- Comic Creators Discuss Legacy
- Churchill: Good For The Jews?
- Emotions Run High at Yom HaShoah Event
- Arts Group Broadens Its Horizons
- Students Remember Holocaust
- Martin Sheen Honored
- Tribute to Jules Dassin
- ‘Women of Achievement’ Honored
- Mel Brooks Honored at Rainbow Room
- Remembering Abraham Brumberg
- Leonard Bernstein: A Musical Tribute
- Oscar-Winning Film Strikes a Chord
- Spotlight on Women’s Health
- A Jewish Cinema Gem
- Boxer’s Story on the Big Screen
- Thirty Years in Fashion
- Kaufman Center’s Curtain Raiser
- Sobriety Book Celebrates Launch
- Yiddish Theater: Going Strong
- Y.U. Honors Tulane President
- Germans Honor Libeskind
- A Yiddish Word For All Occasions
- “Frontline” Producer Honored
- Reeve’s Legacy
- Tom Cruise Steals The Show
- Dershowitz Sounds Off
- Salute To U.S. Veterans
- Tribute To An Italian Hero
- Gala Honors First-Ever Chairwoman Of The Board
- Alzheimer’s Association’s Glitzy Gala
- A Military Salute
- Foxman Pens New Tome
- Polish Prez on Jewish History
- Forward Honored In New York
- Film: Rescued Art Of WWII
- In Remembrance Of September 11
- ICRF Honors Women of Action
- AJC Honors Muslim Zionist
- Tribute to Leona
- A Great Debate
- Adieu to Arye
- JLC Honors NYC Mayor
- Smooth Sailing for Stuttering Gala Maiden Voyage Aboard the QM2
- Picture Perfect Event
- Dolly Parton Honored by SHOF
- A Tribute to Sills
- Diaspora Museum Honors Sharansky
- Oprah Is Honored
- Hamlisch Hits The Keys at ISEF Benefit
- Yivo Honors Kati Marton
- Power Couples Offer Advice
- Living Legend: A Tribute To Neil Sedaka
- Actress Invokes Einstein’s Vision
- Reagan’s Top Diplomat Honored at Gala
- Patti is LaBelle Of The Ball
- Lord Is Honored, Just In Time
- UJA Honors Kazakh Jewish Industrialist
- Bush Babes Bring On the Bling
- Swaths of Color at Brain Trauma Gala
- Loving Living Legends
- Group Goes Ape For Goodall
- Mizrahi Kills At Purim Ball
- Knowing When The Fight Begins
- Running On “Jewish Time”
- Theater Veterans Honored
- A Night Full Of Maazel
- Singing to Joschka
- Richard Gere Hails Dean
- Simon Says, In Yiddish
- Honoring Shamir
- Jerry Stiller: Son Of Sunni, Shi’ite
- Saluting Those In Uniform
- Brainy Banter At 92nd Street Y Benefit
- Saluting The Fresh Prince
- Applauding the Adelsons
- Stars Shine In Alzheimer Gala
- Boxer Honored At Science Award Dinner
- Bolton Talks Tough At Rabin Center Gala
- On Making Nice
- Remembering The Ghetto
- Trumped
- Well, Hello Dali!
- Khan-Do Princess Raises Alzheimer’s Awareness At Soho Party
- Celebrating German Unification With Gusto
- Birthday Bash
- Dinner Honors Doctor
- Taking New York By Storm, In Song
- A Blessing for John Paul II
- Celebrating Tel Aviv University
- Folksbiene Salutes Yiddish; ON THE GO
- In Praise of Hillel
- Stressing the Bones
- Museum Dinner Gets Toes a-Tappin’
- Remembering the Top of the Pops
- Giving Children at Risk a Future
- Putting Zorba in His Place
- Peace, Love and Understanding
- Keeping Memory Alive
- Hailing an Immigrant Landmark
- Juilliard Celebrates Its Centennial
- Students Confront ‘Hiroshima’
- Cheering the Russian National Orchestra
- Literary Lion Gets French Salute
- A Trio of Farewells
- Welcoming a Latter-day de Tocqueville
- Fighting To End Gender Discrimination
- Wiesenthal Center Honors Murdoch
- Meretz Lauds a Music Master
- Munich, on Film and in Person
- Munich, on Film and in Person
- The Power of the Pen
- Ron Howard’s Moving Images
- Remembrance Without a Call For Revenge
- From National Issues to National Treasures
- Clinton Gives Food For Thought — But Hold the Gluten
- Recalling a Screen Legend’s Legacy
- Remembering Yitzhak Rabin
- Paying Tribute to a Master Yiddishist
- Looking Anew at Bulgaria’s Jews
- Incubators of Antisemitism
- ‘Fiddler’ Director Tells All
- Walesa Reminisces at the 92nd Street Y
- ADL Honors Polish President
- Women Trailblazers Honored
- Hitting the Road With Reiser and Falk
- Bidding Abe Hirschfeld Farewell
- On Becoming a Fan of Japanese Film
- Two Farewells: One Warm, One Tearful
- Of Sugihara and Hiroshima
- Theater Lover Gets Ovation
- Rabbi and Professor Face Off In Bioethics Debate
- Fund Honors Cancer Survivors
- At Benefit, Dan Rather Suggests Floyd Abrams For High Court
- Patinkin Wows Carnegie Crowd With Evening Of Yiddish Song
- Foundation for Jewish Culture Lauds ‘Brooklyn Boy’ Playwright
- Honoring a Broadcaster and Remembering a Song Master
- ADL Posthumously Honors Fiume’s ‘Righteous’ Police Chief
- Blacks and Jews In Harmony At the New York Festival of Song
- ON THE GO
- At the Waldorf-Astoria, Lasers –– and Lots of Love –– for Lily Safra
- The Week Stops At Grand Central For Middle East ‘Conversation’
- Throng Thrills to Thomashefsky’s Titillating Tales
- Hundreds Toast Bronfman at Hillel Tribute
- Remembering a Legend, YIVO Marks Milestone
- Yeshiva Hosts Rabbi’s 75th Birthday Bash
- Foundation Sings of Harmony at Songstress Denise Rich’s Home
- IDF Chief Voices Optimism at New York Gala
- Deneuve Shines at French Institute’s ‘Star’ Soirée
- Jewish Museum Hosts Masked Purim Bash
- New Yorkers Hail Their Hometown
- New York Meets ‘Chicago’ at Red Ball Bash
- Hopping on ‘The Bandwagon’ of Musical Legends
- Broadway Bigs Get Boosts
- Fierstein Fires Up ‘Fiddler’
- VIP Crush at King Event
- Pirates, Pishkes And ‘Pacific Overtures’
- An Eve Where Italian Was the Mameloshn
- ‘Center’ing Around Jewish Culture, Arts and History
- Two Events Honor Israel’s Contributions
- Intrepid Celebs Toast to Pride And Patriotism
- Stirring ‘Harts’ And Minds at A Tribute Gala
- Goodfellas and Great Gals Honor the Arts
- Stellllaaa! A Tribute to an Icon
- Remembering A ‘Happy Jewish Spirit’
- A Tale From Japan
- Honoring the Present –– and Future –– Nobel Laureates
- What Litvaks Accomplished in Brazil
- Blond Ambition: A Yiddish Diva Serenades Fans
- Tale of Twos Marks an Activist’s Life
- For a Good Cause: Teaching, Giving and Running
- From New York to France And On to Poland
- From Opera to Yiddish Songs, Joy for the Ears
- From A to Zorn: Musical Tributes To History
- Reuniting Refugees Upstate
- Two New Beginnings and a Sad Ending
- Fiddler on the Hot Seat: Molina & Co. Chat
- Home is Where the Heart Is: In the South Bronx
- A Dog’s Life: A Veterinarian Extraordinaire Dishes
- Eli Wallach Knows His Lines
- Honoring the President’s Mensch
- A Mega Bar Mitzvah for Actor Fyvush Finkel
- At 80, Lang Still Keeps the Flame Alive
- To Get to Carnegie, Practice Your Yiddish
- An Intrepid Crowd Honors Patriots
- The Stars Toast Elie Wiesel on His 75th
- At YIVO, Honoring Those Who Champion Mameloshn
- Showing ‘Spirit,’ Going Red and Taking Time for Israel
- A First Lady, a Good Cause and a Comedic King
- Educate! Empower! Endow! And Entertain
- Takes-a-Village Outlook Marks Citizens of NYC
- Boys May Be Boys, But Boys’ Town Makes Men
- From Under the Chupah to Over the Ark, and Other Ottoman Tales
- The Boomerang Effects of Acts of Kindness
- Lost in Translation: ‘The Ghost Is Eager, But the Meat Is Tender’
- At ELEM Benefit, Nava Barak Shares Sorrow Over Distressed Youth
- ‘Tevye Isn’t Jewish — and Golda Is’
- A ‘Sex and the City’ Kind of Purimspiel
- Like ‘Braveheart’ Comes to the Crucifixion, Critic Says
- Seeds of Israel Take Root Afar
- Y Is Icing on N.Y.’s Cake, Schumer Says
- Rabbi Buchwald Speaks of Highs and Lows of Jewish Outreach
- A Jordanian Prince Dazzles Benefit-goers
- ‘Silence Is Not Golden,’ Jarvis Says at King Tribute
- A Museum in Memory of Ari Halberstam
- Albright Broaches Brooches at a Gem of a Gala
- Saluting One Who Challenged the ‘Ultimate Taboo’
- Stars Come Out for Israel Philharmonic
- JNF Tree of Life Branches Out To Embrace Feldshuh and Zaks
- An Anti-Smoking Legacy; a Love-Filled ADL Good-bye
- Doctors Fill the House at Lenox Hill’s ‘Fantastique’ Ball
- Two Firsts for an Interethnic Foundation
- Friendship, Culture Link America, Israel
- Alan Alda Issues Verdict on Court TV
- ‘Get Larry King,’ Jokes Clinton at Rabin Center Gala
- CUNY’s Chiefs Befriend Israel’s Open U.
- Making a Splash on Behalf of Israelis With Disabilities
- Foxman Fetes Feldshuh at New Run of ‘Golda’s Balcony’
- Hayworth Gala Pays Respects to Alzheimer’s Victims
- Party Packs a Punch for Academic Freedom
- A Nod to Italy: From Freedom to Film
- Keeping the Memory of Lodz Alive
- Saying Thanks to the Behind-the-Scenes Bridge-Builders
- How a Buttonhole Camera Kept Kovno’s Past Alive
- The Thing About the Other Jonathan Pollard, Producer
- Praise for Theater’s Era of Enlightenment
- The Comedian and the Rabbi: A Tête-à-Tête
- From ‘A Stoop on Orchard St.’ to ‘Capitol Steps’
- Ignorance Is Far From Bliss for Israeli Education
- Poland’s Jewish Past; Bob Hope Memories
- How Terry Sue Became Tovah
- Traipsing Down the Red-Carpet Runway at ‘The Holy Land’ Gala
- Once Upon a Time in Iraq; Two Funds Fight Cancer
- Dance Fever at Sutton Place Synagogue
- A Lyrical Tribute at Songwriters Awards
- Cultural Awards Serve Up Feast for the Soul
- Arguing the World: A ‘Conversation’
- Comics Yuk It Up for 92nd Street Y, Raising $1.1 Million
- Soros Gets Boos for Using YIVO Stage as Political Platform
- Broader Horizons Triumph in ‘Best of Times for Women’
- An Evening of Two Elies: Wiesel, Tahari
- A Stately Tribute to the Shoah From Powell
- Lunch in the Limelight for the Producers
- Workmen’s Circle Seder Hits High Note
- Diplomats From 40 Nations Dine, Sing ‘Dayenu’ at Seder
- Songwriter Denise Rich: ‘Inside of Me Is a Black Woman’
- As Time Goes By: Ruth Gruber Reflects
- Wishing for Cultural Ties To Keep U.S., French Allied
- Aid for Youths Comes in a Variety of Sizes and Shapes
- Esther Drescher? ‘The Nanny’ Tried New Role for Purim
- ‘The Righteous’: An Anthology of Heroes
- Big Brass on Board for Intrepid ‘Salute’
- It’s Down Home Southern Comfort at Federation Gala
- Reaching Out to the Unaffiliated; Honoring Pooch Power
- Israel-America Two-for-One Night in N.Y.
- A Gleaming Night at the Jewelers’ Gala; Siggi Memories
- Arab-Jew Duo Perform a ‘Prayer’ for Peace on Piano
- A Light Shines Brightly From ‘Miracle on 16th Street’
- Congress Delivers Promised Israel Aid Bump Despite Budget Deadlock
- Civil Rights Legend Stumps for Obama Among Brooklyn, New Jersey Jews
- Prisoner Deal Scrambles Jewish State’s Politics
- Israeli Prime Minister Turns Tables, Asks Diaspora: What Can We Do for You?
- David vs. Goliath on Lower East Side: Yiddishist Challenges N.Y. Powerbroker
- Tensions Mount Over Lithuanian Probe
- Building a New Israel, Activist by Activist
Leonard Fein - ‘Imaginary Coordinates’ or Community Coordinates?
Ira S. Youdovin - A Severe Verdict That Didn’t Go Far Enough
Yehezkel Dror - What Kind of Interviewer Confuses Hamas and Hummus?
Yossi Alpher - In the End, Only Candor Will Bring Peace
Leonard Fein - Europe’s Shameful Honoring of Vilnius
Andrew Baker